1. Technical Field
The present invention pertains in general to computer software, and more particularly, to providing the components that give Internet based and other technology based providers the ability to charge fees for content, while allowing users to maintain their anonymity.
2. Description of Related Art
With the growth of the Internet, and particularly of the World-Wide Web, many companies have offered premium content over the Internet. To access such premium content, a user must typically enter a credit-card number, both for billing purposes and (when required) to establish proof of legal maturity.
However, companies providing such premium content may wish to allow customers a free, time-limited preview of the content. In that case, there must be a way of ensuring that the person using the preview does so only during the specified time. A generic guest ID and password allow no such function. While the user can be prompted to enter a credit card, with the promise that the card will not be charged during the preview period, many users are understandably suspicious of such a promise.
Also, a user may wish to remain anonymous during the preview period, or for that matter throughout the user's subscription to the premium service. That is especially the case with “adult” services. The user's anonymity can be breached in several ways. For example, when the user's computer forms a TCP/IP connection to the server, the user's computer sends certain identifying information to the server, which stores that information in an access log. Such information can be used to identify the user. Also, if another person (such as a family member or a co-worker) accesses the user's computer, that other person can easily identify the URL's of the last several Web sites that the user has accessed. Further, in the case of premium content, a charge will appear on the user's credit-card statements. Many users find such recording of their identities objectionable. On the other hand, companies providing premium content still have to be able to charge their customers.